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Wyndham Rewards - Changes Coming

S

Silverdollar

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2012
Messages
205
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276
Location
Georgia
Changes are coming to Wyndham Rewards Credit Card Program. Currently, members can book a free night at any Wyndham hotel for 15,000 points. On April 3, 2019, they will add two new levels: 7,500 and 30,000 points (while points + cash redemptions will be available at 1,500 points + cash, 3,000 points + cash, and 6,000 points + cash, respectively).

One third of the properties will become available at 7,500 points per night, 200 will be 30,000 points per night and the rest roughly 64% will stay at the 15,000 points per night level.

This morning, I called Wyndham Rewards and they said they didn’t know the specific hotels in each category at this time. But, more than likely, the hotels in the Wyndham Grand Series will require 30,000 points per night, mid-priced hotels will remain at 15,000 points, and the lower-priced hotels will be reduced to 7,500 points.

They stated that a reservation can be made now for a hotel stay after April 3rd, using the current rate (15k points) if I thought the rate for a particular hotel might go up to 30k, and they will honor the 15k rate. On the other hand, if I book now and the rate goes down to 7,500 after April 3rd, then I can rebook and get the lower rate.

For more details:

https://loyaltylobby.com/2019/02/19/wyndham-rewards-changes-effective-april-3-2019/
 
15k points is a good deal. Now that they got people using them they can play around and up the points. It's like crack dealers, it either free of cheap until you are hooked then the price goes up.
 
The thing I liked best about the program was its simplicity. Any hotel, any night. Obviously subject to availability. I’ll adapt, but depending on how many brands aside from the Grand hotels require 30k points, this program may become much less valuable.
 
The thing I liked best about the program was the ability to stay at high-end hotels for only 15k points. Now the nicer hotels will cost 30k points - twice the previous amount.

However, now a member can stay at a low-end hotel for 7,500 points, or half the previous amount. I can see how this might be beneficial to someone interested in staying at or near a popular destination, or high interest event, but not really concerned about plush accommodations because they plan to be out and about most of the day.

A year ago, (Feb. 16th, 2018) I posted that I was able to get a great deal using my Wyndham Rewards CC. My daughter and son-in-law wanted to go to the St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Savannah, Ga. on March 16 & 17 (2018), but hotel prices were astronomical, or completely booked up. However, I was able to book the 2 nights at a Wyndham hotel for 30,000 rewards points. Otherwise, the advertised price was $373 per night, plus taxes and fees for the 2 nights would have cost $902. I printed out the reservation and gave it to them for Valentines. They were elated!

Even though the advertised price was high, it was a lower-end hotel because of this very popular event. Now, I believe this hotel will be available for only 7,500 points per night for the same event next year. I can see similar bargains available during other highly popular events around the country. Think Daytona 500, Mardi Gras, Hot Air Balloon Festivals, Sea Fests, etc.
 
We have stayed at Boston Beacon Hill and Wyndham Gettysburg using our Rewards card, 15000 a night. They probably will be 30000 points in the future. I think the LaQuinta hotels may have influenced this change as I think they become available in April also. We did nit use our reward points for the lower end hotels but may for 7500 points. Thankfully we booked three days at the Inn on Long Wharf in Newport RI for three days during Labor Day Weekend using 15000 points per day.
 
Another thing I like about the program is you can cancel most of their hotels up to 24-hours prior to check-in. This allows a lot flexibility for last-minutes changes.

Also, after my last post, out of curiosity, I looked to see if there was availability for this year's St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Savannah, Ga. and ended up booking the last available room at the hotel for two nights using 30k points. And its on Main Street near all the activities! Same as last year, the published rates were exorbitant and would have cost several hundred $$.

I don't know if my daughter/SIL wants to go again this year, or maybe a guest. Either way, I can cancel if needed.

Question: Does anyone know the policy on renting out a hotel room to a guest? I've done a lot TS rentals, but never rented out a hotel room for a high interest event like this.
 
How many times have you been on vacation and said, "I wish we could add another day?" Personally, on more than one occasion, I've been on vacation and searched the Wyndham site to see if I could book an extra night. Most of the time, there was nothing available at that late date.

Today, on a separate thread, a Tug member was looking for an extra night to tag onto his Wyndham Resort stay next week. It just so happened that he needed a weekend night prior to Mardi Gras, but there was no availability at the resort, and hotel prices were extremely high. I decided to check the Wyndham Rewards website and saw that Wyndham New Orleans French Quarter was available for that night (March 1st) for $369.55, plus taxes/fees. However, it could be booked using "Go Free" for only 15k rewards points. That's a really good deal!

If you want to book an extra night on the front/back end of your vacations and nothing is available at the resort, this is something to keep in mind. There might be a Wyndham hotel, or one of their subsidiaries, nearby. And, depending on the hotel level you selection, you could get it for as little as 7,500 points per night, or half the current rate, when the new program goes into effect on April 3rd, 2019.
 
Im usually optimistic and it seems like everyone in this thread is but usually these rewards cards are devalued not the other way around. I just got this card and was planning like silverdollar just said to use for event weeks or to add to Margaritaville stay in Puerto Rico that would give a really good value. Personally I think all the 7500 hotels are going to be ones Id rather not stay at. Most will stay 15000 but I think the ones that I would want to use it at (Chicago, Midtown Ny, Puerto Rico) are all going to be 30,000. Hopefully Im wrong because I just got this card last month.
 
I think you sized things up very well. I also had hoped to use these points for a short stay in a high cost location, in my case Chicago and/or Clearwater.

All the other hotel points systems were less generous that Wyndham, and all of them generally devalue their points as well, so I can't be to annoyed at Wyndham for this. They haven't wrecked the system, just made it a bit less valuable. But we may be underestimating the number of hotels that move to the 30K level. We'll see after April 3rd.
 
If I paid my entire annual MF and had the card that I got 5X for Wyndham, I would still only get 1 night at the new 30K category Wyndham I would want to stay at out of the deal.

Most of the hotels I want are now 30K

If I dump the Reward CC, I would save the $75 fee, plus I will get $180 Cash Back or $270 in Travel booked through the Chase UR portal at any hotel/airline I want. I think that just gives me more options. Not renewing the Wyndham Rewards cards now, move my spend to Chase SR.
 
I just picked this card up and luckily with the sign up bonus and some spending got 3 nights at Rio Mar Puerto Rico for New Years. Now all hotels I would consider to be a vacation are 30k. I'll also be dumping this card. I'll use my cap1 venture card at hotels.com where I get 10% back and a free room after 10 rooms so basically 20% overall back on all hotel stays.
 
Checking the site yesterday, I did not see any hotels for 7500, most stayed at 15000 including Wyndham Gettysburg. I did see Boston Beacon Hill and The Mills in Charleston went up to 30000. A person on FB said that the hotel at Clearwater was 30000 but the resort side was only 15000
 
Can anyone do this...even if they bought on the secondary market?
 
talkamotta said:
Can anyone do this...even if they bought on the secondary market?
Click to expand...

This is Wyndham Rewards, nothing to do with timeshare ownership here. It’s a retail hotel rewards program that is free to sign up for. If you want to earn more WR points you can also get the WR credit card, and when attending the timeshare sales updates you can ask for WR points instead of gift cards (usually between 15-30k per update).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sandy VDH said:
If I paid my entire annual MF and had the card that I got 5X for Wyndham, I would still only get 1 night at the new 30K category Wyndham I would want to stay at out of the deal.

Most of the hotels I want are now 30K

If I dump the Reward CC, I would save the $75 fee, plus I will get $180 Cash Back or $270 in Travel booked through the Chase UR portal at any hotel/airline I want. I think that just gives me more options. Not renewing the Wyndham Rewards cards now, move my spend to Chase SR.
Click to expand...
Do we have any idea how many UR points we would get by using the CSR card to pay Wyndham monthly MF’s?
 
dagger1 said:
Do we have any idea how many UR points we would get by using the CSR card to pay Wyndham monthly MF’s?
Click to expand...

It is 3X UR points and if you use it to book travel in the portal, its yield would be 4.5X.

In the portal 100 points is 1.00 CB or 1.50 in Travel booked.
 
55plus said:
Anyone, I mean anyone can apply for this credit card.
Click to expand...

yes, for the wyndham card you will easily get approved.

No as easy to get approved for the CSR card.
 
Sandy VDH said:
It is 3X UR points and if you use it to book travel in the portal, its yield would be 4.5X.

In the portal 100 points is 1.00 CB or 1.50 in Travel booked.
Click to expand...
Thank you SandyVDH, you are now my official CSR guru. We applied yesterday, under my wife’s name and SSN (her credit is better than mine even though she was a stay at home Mom and hasn’t worked for money since we got married in 1979), and did NOT get an immediate approval. I was turned down for a Marriott Rewards card in a similar fashion a couple of years ago (she was not!!!) because of all of the cc’s in my name... I have a feeling we have maxed out her credit limit as well. We, like most here, pay each card in full every month. We have never carried a credit card balance either. But I really want to get rid of the Wyndham Barclaycard after their points devaluation April 3rd. They just did to me what they did to Wyndham VIP owners 2 years ago!!!!
 
It really looks like this was just to double the points needed to stay at the nicer Wyndham hotels. They said that some of their hotels would be reduced to 7500 points, but in a quick search I just did of various Wyndhams I've stayed at in the past year or two, they are all still at 15000 points and that includes some Days Inns, Super 8's, Baymonts and a Microtel I used once.

There are probably some that have been reduced, but I would expect that to be a very small number. And using 15000 points for a $60 hotel room doesn't seem like such a great value.
 
kaljor said:
It really looks like this was just to double the points needed to stay at the nicer Wyndham hotels. They said that some of their hotels would be reduced to 7500 points, but in a quick search I just did of various Wyndhams I've stayed at in the past year or two, they are all still at 15000 points and that includes some Days Inns, Super 8's, Baymonts and a Microtel I used once.

There are probably some that have been reduced, but I would expect that to be a very small number. And using 15000 points for a $60 hotel room doesn't seem like such a great value.
Click to expand...
Exactly and well said!
 
We have Wyndham cards as well, but because several other credit cards rewards programs are more attractive to us we have seldom used these cards.
While we're on this subject, and I peer into my wallet, a LOT of credit cards go unused these days because either their rewards programs are (essentially) worthless and/or the terms of the card are beyond usurious.
 
kaljor said:
It really looks like this was just to double the points needed to stay at the nicer Wyndham hotels. They said that some of their hotels would be reduced to 7500 points, but in a quick search I just did of various Wyndhams I've stayed at in the past year or two, they are all still at 15000 points and that includes some Days Inns, Super 8's, Baymonts and a Microtel I used once.

There are probably some that have been reduced, but I would expect that to be a very small number. And using 15000 points for a $60 hotel room doesn't seem like such a great value.
Click to expand...

Essentially the Wyndham Grand hotels, of which there are about 200, went from 15k to 30k points. There are over 7000 hotels in the program, so that’s a small percentage really. Sure it stinks that we cannot stay at the Grands for 15k any longer, that was a really nice benefit, but this is already the case for the competing programs from Hilton, Marriott, etc. I’m not surprised as a result that Wyndham is simply adapting to the majority market.

We’re not really interested in staying at a dump so any hotels that fall in the 7500 point range won’t be something we will take advantage of most likely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Historically I have been very negative when programs are changed as the changes are almost always to the detriment of users. This one doesn't seem as egregious to me...

George
 
I find the Wyndham card very useful for a reason not mentioned so far and that is its extremely generous loan provision. I use it for financing things that otherwise I'd have to use a home equity draw for or pay outright. At the greater of $5 or 1% of the amount financed it is a cheap source of funds.

Repayable with no charge other than the initial 1%, I currently have wedding costs and advance airfares outstanding and while I'm paying off monthly to have paid off at the end of the usual around 12-13 mth advance period I could also wait until the end and pay off in a lump sum.

To me this is reason alone to have the card. I don't use it for any other reason.
 
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